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Cognitive Dissonance (Communication)
A theory, advanced by the American psychologist Eric Festinger in the 1950s, that posits that individuals experience discomfort or unease when newly presented information contradicts their beliefs or assumptions or when other people make requests that conflict with their values. To find relief from the discomfort or unease such inconsistencies cause, people are likely to resort to various defense mechanisms, including dismissing or avoiding the information, convincing themselves that conflicts do not exist, or settling the differences even if not to their satisfaction.
In the decades that followed, researchers studying cognitive dissonance in relation to communication theory have theorized that humans tend to seek information that supports their beliefs and preconceived notions as well as their decisions. For example, in the 1980s, John Cotton wrote that ...